Chelsey Sveinsson: National Champ, 10th Grader

Get to know the double national prep champ

As Lance Armstrong’s former swim coach before he started triathlons, MacCrudy has learned to recognize when his athletes have talents outside the pool. Sveinsson is one of those athletes. “We want the swimming to assist the other activities and keep them healthy and promote them overall as athletes,” explains MacCrudy as he compares Sveinsson’s running talent to Armstrong’s cycling genius.

MacCrudy also recognizes the fierce competitor within Sveinsson, saying, “She’ll always give the best she has to give. She has a very strong engine and aerobic capacity.” Yaffe agrees, saying, “She is a great role model. She realizes that running is more than a 2-hour-a-day commitment.”

As the fitness center director at Greenhill since 1998, Glengarry has been able to continue to nurture her daughter’s commitment to running. Twice a week Sveinsson lifts weights with the guidance of her mother. In season she maxes out at 35 miles per week of running. In track this season she hopes to reach 40 miles a week as she continues to train for the 800m and 1600m, and also plans on taking a crack at the 3200m.

In regards to her future in running, she talks of her immediate goals, like winning the 1600m at the Penn Relays and Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals. Beyond high school she has the 2012 Olympics in her sights. With the possibility of running for Iceland or the U.S. she immediately picks the U.S. as the top team to make. For now, however, she says she is “taking it one year at a time.”

For those who follow this high school phenomenon, keep in mind one thing: research shows that it takes upwards of 10,000 hours of training before a skill is mastered. With just a few years of running behind her, Sveinsson is simply running on raw, natural talent as she puts in her 10,000 hours.

In the meantime, Sveinsson will continue to be a normal kid with quick feet and a thirst for competition. She’ll continue to study biology and hang out with her friends. On the side she’ll be winning championships and running down her Olympic dreams. Yaffe caps off his thoughts by saying, “We haven’t seen her best yet.” For her part, Sveinsson smirks a little and says with a distinctly naive enthusiasm for the future, “I’ll be keeping up with the big dogs.” Mackenzie Lobby is a freelance writer based in Minneapolis, Minn. She last wrote for us about "aha! moments."